Brothers In Arms
by aerogirl86
Summary: After a brief visit to a planet, SG-1 brings home a soldier in a war that spans multiple planets. What affect with this woman have on SG-1?


_Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 or any of it's characters. Any original characters are my own creation, which is kind of scary if you think about it… And because I don't own them, I'm borrowing them for a little bit of fun, and if I did get sued over it, I couldn't pay anyway because at this point, I can't even pay to go to college next year!_

_**Brothers In Arms**_

_Aj_

Glancing around warily, Colonel Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill rubbed a hand across his face. He didn't have a good feeling about the planet SG-1 had just arrived on. The Stargate was standing in a small clearing, surrounded by a mix of tall evergreen and deciduous trees, creating dark shadows around the sunny clearing. Signaling for Major Samantha Carter and Teal'c to survey the perimeter to the left of the Stargate, he and Dr. Daniel Jackson started to the right. They walked just outside of the tree line, and suddenly he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun similar to his own.

"Woah," he said, holding his hands up. "Danny, I think you're on."

"Who are you," the woman holding the gun demanded, her clear green eyes surveying the clearing around the Stargate.

"We're peaceful explorers from a planet called Earth," Daniel said, launching into his usual explanation. "We're not here to hurt you."

"That much I can see. You're not working with the Metrinians, are you?"

"The Metrinians?" Daniel asked in reply, shaking his head slightly.

The woman relaxed slightly, stepping partially out of the shadows of the trees around the edge of the clearing. Jack saw she was wearing all black, and in addition to the gun she was holding, she also had one strapped to her thigh. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and her face was smudged with dirt, making her skin appear pale and her eyes stand out. "Where are the others you came with?"

"They're on the other side of the clearing," Jack told her, resting his hand on the butt of his own gun.

"It's not safe for you here," the woman said, as she took a step forward, stumbling slightly. Just before she passed out she added, "It's not safe for anyone."

When Jack and Daniel grabbed her to keep her form falling, they noticed she was wounded. They saw the gash in her side that had been masked by the shadows and her clothing. Handing Daniel his P-90, Jack lifted her into his arms and called, "Carter, dial the 'Gate. We're going home."

Once back at the SGC, General George Hammond called SG-1 to the briefing room.

"What's happening on that planet?"

Jack shrugged, "We don't know yet sir. We didn't get any farther than the clearing when the woman we brought back with us spotted us and pointed a gun at us. Once she found out we weren't …" he turned to Daniel.

"Metrinians," Daniel supplied.

"Right, Metrinians," Jack continued. "She told us that it wasn't safe. Then, after she passed out, we saw she was wounded and we came right back home."

"Well," Hammond said thoughtfully, "Frasier is examining her now, but when she's done, I want you to see if you can find out anything more from her."

"Yes sir," Jack and Sam said in unison. The team stood and exited the briefing room.

"Teal'c, why don't you and I go grab something to eat. I have a feeling that Carter and Daniel are better suited to get the information out of her."

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, following Jack to the mess.

Daniel turned to Sam, shrugging his shoulders. The pair walked to the infirmary, where the woman was being treated. They saw Janet standing over the woman's bed, making notes on her chart. Janet looked up when she saw them come in.

"What's the verdict?" Sam asked, sticking her hands in her pockets.

"Malnourished and dehydrated for starters. She also has a nasty infection from the wound on her side. Other than that, she's fine." Janet set the chart down. "I have a few other patients I need to check on, I'll be back in about an hour or so."

Daniel pulled up a chair and sat next to the woman's bed. "So."

"Where am I?" she asked, her eyes focusing solely on Daniel.

"You're on a planet called Earth, you were injured and we brought you back with us through the Stargate."

She nodded slowly, processing this information. Daniel continued, "What's your name?"

"My name is Bryn Rianado."

Daniel smiled, "I'm Daniel Jackson. This is Samantha Carter."

"You're one of the others from the clearing?" she asked Sam, who nodded. "And the other two?"

"The man who was with me is Jack O'Neill, the leader of our team. The other man was Teal'c."

"And my things?" Bryn asked.

"They're being stored for now," Sam explained. "You were injured and you lost consciousness on your planet, so we brought you here."

"It's not my planet," Bryn said emotionlessly.

"Not your planet? Where are you from? How'd you get to that planet?"

"No, not my planet. My planet was beautiful, peaceful. Siebeg is what we called it."

"Was beautiful?" Daniel prompted, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands.

A wistful look crossed Bryn's still pale face. "Yes. Siebeg was a small planet, no more than ten cities on the entire planet. We were peaceful people, content with learning and discovery, we had never known the need for war. That was until the Metrinians."

"You thought we were Metrinians."

She shook her head, "No. Not you." She looked at Sam, "Nor you, nor your leader. The other man. The one you call Teal'c."

"Teal'c is a Jaffa, is that what you mean?" Sam asked, sitting on the edge of the infirmary bed.

"Jaffa? I don't know. I do not think so." She sighed. "The shade of his skin, dark, like that of the Metrinians. The Metrinians came to our planet through that which you call the Stargate."

"It certainly sounds like the Goa'uld."

Bryn shrugged, continuing with her tale, "That was eight years past. They came, seemingly to trade knowledge with us. They did not, however, keep their end of the bargain. One by one, they attacked our cities, taking the survivors as prisoners, later to become slaves. I lived in one of the last cities attacked, one of the last free cities."

Daniel exchanged a glance with Sam, disturbed by the horror this woman had lived through.

Bryn closed her eyes, laying her head back on her pillow.

"You're tired," Sam said. "We'll come back later."

"Thank you. I am grateful to you all."

Daniel and Sam stood and took a few steps. Sam looked back and saw that Bryn was asleep, though not resting peacefully. Quietly, they continued out of the infirmary, going to meet Teal'c and Jack in the mess. The four members of SG-1 sat at one of the few unoccupied tables, eating their respective meals.

"What'd you learn about the girl?" asked Jack, sticking his spoon into his Jell-O.

"Her name is Bryn," Sam said, reaching for her own cup of Jell-O.

Daniel nodded in agreement. "She told us that the world we found her on, isn't her own. She lived on a planet called Siebeg. They were peaceful, more scientists and scholars than anything I guess. Anyway, a race called Metrinians by the natives came to the planet, supposedly to trade technologies. However, the Metrinians started to attack and enslave the people of Siebeg. Bryn lived in one of the last of the ten major cities."

"Goa'uld?" Jack asked.

"I thought so too at first, but then she said something that made me rethink it."

"What would that be?" Jack mumbled, his mouth full of Jell-O.

Daniel glanced at Teal'c, "She only thought Teal'c was a Metrinian, not the rest of us, because of the color of his skin."

"The Goa'uld aren't composed of one particular race of hosts. You're thinking that the Metrinians are just another race of humans enslaving people," Sam suspected.

"Yes." They continued to eat in relative silence, each lost in their own thoughts about their visitor. About an hour later Daniel set his fork down on his plate, pushing his chair away from the table. "I'm going to go talk to her again."

"I should get back to my lab," Sam said, also standing up.

"You want us to come with you Daniel?" Jack asked.

"No. I think she'd be less comfortable with an audience than with just me. I'll let you know what I find out though."

Daniel didn't actually make it to the infirmary right away. He got sidetracked by SG-8's return, with some Goa'uld text that they wanted translated. It was a couple hours before he made it down to the infirmary. He found Bryn with a magazine, reading it intently.

"Hello."

"Daniel Jackson," Bryn nodded in greeting.

"You can just call me Daniel."

Bryn nodded again. "You came back to hear more of what happened to me?"

He smiled, "If you don't mind. I study other cultures, ones that we encounter on our travels through the Stargate. From what I've heard so far, your life varies greatly from what we've seen in any other races out there."

"I do not mind telling you, in fact, on my planet, in my city, Catrinal, the citizens were known mostly for their studies of other cultures. Each city on Siebeg had it's own specialty."

"How old are you?" Daniel sat on the edge of her bed.

"I am 24 years of age."

"24? And the Metrinians came when you were 16?" Daniel's eyebrows raised in shock.

"Yes. Would you mind greatly if we held this conversation somewhere else? I am beginning to feel like a prisoner in this bed."

Daniel laughed, familiar with the feeling. "Are you feeling up to it?"

"Very much so," Bryn replied, nodding emphatically. Daniel helped her stand and they started to walk out of the infirmary. They walked in silence for a few moments, Bryn walking stiffly due to her side.

"It's nice to be in a proper building," she said contemplatively.

"When we talked last, you were telling Sam and I that you lived in one of the last free cities…" Daniel reminded her.

"Of course. For months we had heard news of the Metrinians coming and pillaging in our cities, taking not only our technologies, but our people as well. They would kill the elderly and the youngest of the children. Then they would capture the men and women that weren't killed in the struggle to save our home world.

"Because we were in the last city, we had time to plan our defense. We evacuated those who were most important to our society: leaders, historians, scholars, scientists. Also our elderly and our hope for the future of Siebeg, the children. My brother, Finnean, was among them. I haven't seen him in nearly seven years. I do not even know if he is still alive." A solitary tear fell down her cheek and Daniel's heart went out to the young woman who had obviously seen so much horror.

She took a deep breath and continued, "We armed ourselves and waited for them to come. Never before had I held a weapon of any type. I was shocked at how easily it came to me, as if I had been born with it in my hands. At first I was appalled at what we were preparing to do. It was unheard of to kill another person, no matter what the circumstances.

"But they came, hundreds of them, flooding my city. I was acting as a sniper. Along with my intended, Ashten. We were positioned on the rooftops, dozens of others with us. After I shot the first Metrinian…" Bryn trailed off, coming to a stop outside the mess.

"Are you hungry?" Daniel asked quietly. At her nod, he led her into the mess and got her something to eat. They sat down at a small table, at the end of the mess, away from the few other people that remained after the meal-time rush. Bryn ate hastily, finishing the meal in a matter of minutes. She looked up, her cheeks tinged red with embarrassment.

"It's been days since I had a meal," she explained. "And although this food is different than that of my people and even the Metrinians, it's good."

She pushed her plate aside, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "It became a sport; evading the Metrinians and then shooting them. Ashten and I were the most skilled. We made a contest of it, to see who could kill the most in a day. Since I was nine and Ashten was 14, we had been intendeds and best friends. Just before the Metrinians finally captured the city and I was taken, Ashten was shot. He died in my arms."

"I know what you must have felt. I lost my wife to the Goa'uld, first she was captured, then she was killed."

"You do know then. Shortly after he died, I was taken. First I was taken to a planet, where thousands of my people were housed and waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. We were separated, by sex, age, health. The conditions were awful when we first got there, though after those who were unhealthy were taken away, it wasn't so bad.

"I was sold to an old man. He was kind to me, until he died. I was a servant to his youngest daughter, a girl many years younger than myself at that time. I was with Adrianna until I was 20 years of age. Then my master died, leaving me not to his daughter, who was still young, but instead to the husband of his eldest daughter, a cruel man.

"I joined the ranks of his other servants, though he seemed to take a special delight in trying to break me. I had been planning for years to escape my enslavement. With the aid of Adrianna, whose guardian was her malicious brother, I escaped. Shortly after, I heard of a rebellion on Labina, another Metrinian controlled world. I traveled there, hoping to aid those who were rebelling."

"A noble task," Daniel interjected, pushing his glasses up on his nose. During the entire time she was speaking, he had been studying her. Though she was only 24, she had the air of someone much older, much more world-weary. Her face was still pale, though now clean, unmarked in any way, save for the slight crookedness of her nose, suggesting that it had been broken in one point at time. Her green eyes reflected the sorrow of her tale. Dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, unwilling to stay where she wanted it. Her voice was clear, not showing any unnecessary emotion during her tale, though Daniel knew those emotions were present beneath the surface.

Not once did she stop her narrative in order to delay the telling. Daniel, sensing her need to tell someone of her trials, held his questions, mentally listing them to ask her when she finished. He started to think that maybe he should write them down, starting first with more questions about her city on Siebeg and her culture there.

During her explanation of her forced servitude, he started to draw parallels between the her life and situation and slavery in America. The slavers in the early days of the United States had bought their slaves in auction houses, slaves that had come from Africa, and were considered to be inferior due to the color of their skin and unfamiliar ways.

Granted, this was on a much larger scale, but wasn't it the same thing? Traveling to another nation and taking the people, especially the healthy ones, and selling them as "servants"? And the rebellion she had just began to speak of? The American Civil War?

She turned the glass on the table in front of her in circles, staring at it intently. "Labina is the planet your team found me on. I've been there for the past four years, aiding the rebels there. At first, things had not been going well. Many rebels were killed, slaughtered really. They had no idea of how to fight a foe such as the Metrinians. After my arrival, things began to turn in our favor. Because of my experience on Siebeg, I achieved a position of leadership among the rebels. I found that I had a talent for strategy," she said, an ironic smile on her face. "We began to win battles and turn the tides against the Metrinians. However, a year ago, the Metrinians began to anticipate our attacks and they would be more prepared for us. I had heard whispers that they had new leaders; leaders who were allies with powerful people. The day you found me, I had been leading a small band in order to find out what the Metrinians knew of us. I suspect that there were traitors among our ranks, as we walked into an ambush. Regretfully, I was the only one to escape, I was trying to get back to our base, but I had a suspicion that I was being followed, so I began to walk away from the base."

"You were injured then?" Daniel asked, setting down his coffee cup.

Bryn nodded, "Yes. That was nearly ten days ago."

"For ten days you had been walking around, wounded?"

"I needed to protect my people Daniel."

Daniel studied her, amazed at the lengths she had gone to in order to protect her comrades. "You must be tired."

"I admit that I am. It has been a long time since I did not have to fear attack."

"I'll take you back to the infirmary. Tomorrow, if you're up to it, Jack would like to talk with you, along with General Hammond. Is that okay?"

Bryn nodded, standing slowly, "That is fine. I owe them both my life."

Daniel escorted Bryn back to the infirmary and waited while she got into the bed. He carefully helped her pull the covers over herself, then he stepped back. Bryn's head dropped back onto the pillow, her eyelids already heavy.

"Sleep well," he told her, smiling warmly. She smiled slightly in return, then closed her eyes, asleep soon after.


End file.
